1. Field
The present disclosure relates to a hinge device, and more particularly, to a hinge device for rotatably connecting two panels of in an electronic handheld device, such as a radio telephone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a portable computer or the like.
2. Discussion of Background Technology
A portable apparatus such as a folding-type radio telephone includes two case units coupled to each other by means of a hinge device. In general, one case unit is provided with a keypad, and the other case unit is provided with a liquid crystal display. When the telephone is in use, the keypad and the liquid crystal display are unfolded so that they can be exposed to the outside. The hinge device allows the two case units to be coupled to each other and to be smoothly folded or unfolded with respect to each other.
A related art hinge device is constructed as follows. The hinge device comprises a rotating member, a linearly moving member, an elastic member, and a housing member. The housing member contains the rotating member, the linearly moving member and the elastic member. The linearly moving member and the rotating member are generally provided with a cam surface and a cam follower, respectively, which interact with each other. The rotating member can rotate about a rotational axis within the housing member, and a portion of the rotating member protrudes outward from the housing member to form a coupling portion. The elastic member applies a force such that the linearly moving member and the rotating member can be brought into close contact with each other within the housing member. The linearly moving member, which is not rotating within the housing member, comes into contact with the rotating member but moves linearly along the rotational axis of the housing member. As a folding-type portable apparatus such as a radio telephone becomes slimmer, the hinge device for connecting the two case units is requested to be compact.
The discussion in the foregoing background section is to provide general background information, and does not constitute an admission of prior art.